Labor and delivery travel assignments?!

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Hi all! I am an experienced labor and delivery RN. I have my BSN and will begin obtaining my MSN part time in August. I have worked in big and small hospitals but I am now eager to start a travel assignment to explore and to make a little extra money. I am pretty much at the average pay now and don't see that getting much better any time soon considering I am working in a small community hospital. I am looking for a small non high risk labor and delivery; any suggestions on good assignments in labor and delivery?! I am open to traveling within NC at first but eager to travel inside and outside of the state. Also interested in recommended agencies that offer good benefits for living! Thanks in advance!

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Right now L&D is red hot. You can snag an assignment with total compensation of $70 an hour and above with your current skills. In your shoes, I would start shopping agencies (call lots of them) for such assignments. I wouldn't worry about best service from an agency, but if warning bells go off or you just cannot communicate with your recruiter, keep looking. The agency brand is relatively unimportant, even for travelers in non-hot specialties, than the fit with their recruiters.

Welcome to travel! Your timing is great.

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I'm just finishing my first assignment in Nantucket, MA. It's a critical access hospital (under 20 beds). The LDRP is 4 beds, nurse:pt ratio is 1:1 for labors. Average of 10-20 births/mo, no high risk. Pay is great, manager is great, and coworkers are awesome!

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Oh my! That sounds amazing! What agency are you with if you don't mind me asking!?

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Im LnD. I work out in California but I mostly do high risk. There's no shortage of jobs in California or Texas. There are small community hospitals everywhere. I prefer teaching hospitals though so I can't name any specifically. Flexcare is a good agency. Very high paying assignments.

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Specializes in L&D.

I'm also an L&D traveler! I am headed to a small Critical Access hospital in Cody, WY for the summer! I have done assignments from 10 deliveries a month to 700 deliveries a month. I am currently with RN Network and my recruiter is Alaina Scerbo-Robertson. Sounds like Critical Access hospitals would be more to your liking!

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Specializes in OB.

I've been an OB traveler for almost 20 years now. I've found available assignments all over the country. Critical access and small community hospitals are my preference also and are frequently available as many others want to be in metro areas and popular destinations.

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I am in Kodiak AK presently at a CAH. This is the first one I've worked in and love it.

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Is 2 years L&D experience good to start traveling?

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Yes. .

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Specializes in stroke and trauma.

would a travel agency ever let you switch specialties?

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Agencies have nothing to do with it really. If you can gain sufficient experience in a different (usually closely related) specialty on your work history that a hospital will agree, you are in!

The way it might work in real life (other than going staff) is an ICU or ED traveler gets floated to PACU. PACU likes them and offers to extend them exclusively in recovery. Now that traveler has specific experience in addition to his/her related experience plus references that should enable a switch in specialties. Then doing a least one assignment a year in each specialty will keep you current to keep both option alive.

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